Rove Hides Behind Bush…

…And Bush hides behind a wildly absurd version of “executive privilege.” Here’s what the NYT said a few weeks ago about this non-constitutional and highly-limited (by SCOTUS rulings) perk:

Mr. Bush’s claim is baseless. Executive privilege, which is not mentioned in the Constitution, is a judge-made right of limited scope, intended to create a sphere of privacy around the president so that he can have honest discussions with his advisers. The White House has insisted throughout the scandal that Mr. Bush — and even Mr. Gonzales — was not in the loop about the firings. If that is the case, the privilege should not apply.

Even if Mr. Bush was directly involved, Ms. Miers and Ms. Taylor would have no right to withhold their testimony. The Supreme Court made clear in the Watergate tapes case, its major pronouncement on the subject, that the privilege does not apply if a president’s privacy interests are outweighed by the need to investigate possible criminal activity. Congress has already identified many acts relating to the scandal that may have been illegal, including possible obstruction of justice and lying to Congress.

(Emphasis added.)

It’s time to send Senate Sergeant at Arms Terrance Gainer with a contingent of Capitol Hill police to round up some White House officials.